


late night betty

by tasteslikemiso



Series: hard to live [6]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-03
Updated: 2013-10-03
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:52:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/989040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteslikemiso/pseuds/tasteslikemiso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tatsuki is no good at doing what she should, she and Shiro have this in common.</p>
            </blockquote>





	late night betty

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the October 6, 2005 prompt for the livejournal community 31_days.

"She's cute I guess," Tatsuki says as she swipes through the pictures of Shiro's latest girl, all bright hair and smiles. "But what is it with you and bottle blondes?"

"Blondes find me, " he says casually, tucking away his phone. He orders them another round of drinks and asks "so are you seeing anyone?"

She's already prepared a lie for this very situation but feels it unraveling as she opens her mouth to answer. "No," she admits and he smirks or she imagines he does.

_"I'm seeing someone," he says, when she picks up the phone on the last ring. She really should have let it go to voicemail. They haven't spoken in months, it had ended messy. "I wanted you to hear it from me."_

_She feels her lips move, hears her own voice congratulate him, hears him ask her to drinks to catch up, hears herself accept. The entire evening is forgettable, she should say "remember how we used to make fun of people like this, of couples at dinner who made polite conversation and laughed politely and never felt anything at all?"_

They're sharing a ride home, it's cheaper this way and Tatsuki doesn't care or at least she imagines she doesn't. He slides his hand over her thigh in a familiar way.

She pushes it off, "don't make me get out and walk."

"Don't be like that," he says in a low voice and she shudders involuntarily. They've had too much to drink, but then it's always been that way with Shiro. He's always been a bad influence; he looks at her with drowning eyes. She wants to fall into him, it's always been too easy to fall back into bad habits with him.

Leaning into his shoulder, she should say "remember how we went out for years and then you cheated on me and then proposed to me and I said no and dumped you and then we kept sleeping together because it hurt too much to be together and hurt too much to stop?"

_"It's 2 in the morning. What are you doing up."_

_"Can't sleep."_

_"So you call me."_

_"Who else?"_

_"Literally anyone else."_

_"Come over."_

_"Good night, Shiro."_

_She wishes every conversation had ended like this. Their entire relationship should have ended like this, with her hanging up on him. Instead it stretches out for too long, wearing them both thin and riddling them with holes._

She threads her fingers into his, she should say "remember how you'd slept your way through half the city by the time I met you, remember how I was trembling that first time? Remember how you still have my record collection, how I still have your engagement ring?"

Instead she asks, "why are we like this?"

"Am I in love with you?" he says, by way of answer. She should get out of the car and call another, she should tell him she never wants to see him again, she should walk the rest of the way home.

Some people are more undone than others, instead they kiss in the back of the cab.


End file.
